The growth of computer networking has brought with it an explosion in the number of malicious software attacks, commonly referred to as malware attacks. These malware attacks may include viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware, rootkits, denial of service attacks (DDOS), and other malicious programs. Malware is often installed on computers running browsers while communicating with malicious web sites that exploit browser vulnerabilities. That is, flaws either in the browser or automatically launched external programs and extensions can allow a malicious web page to install malware automatically when a user visits the malicious web page, such that the user may not be aware of the installation.
Often multiple malware exploits or tasks are implemented in tandem, causing a computer to download, store, and then execute a malware executable, also referred to as a binary module. In many cases, a successful exploit results in the automatic installation of a malware binary module, often called a “drive-by download.” The installed malware may enable a malware attacker to gain remote control over the compromised computer system and, in some cases, enable the malware attacker to steal sensitive information, send out spam, or install more malicious executable modules over time.
Malware propagation wastes valuable resources, such as system user time, system administrator resources, network bandwidth, disk space, and CPU cycles. Malware can also corrupt data files such that the originals may not be recoverable. Additionally, malware can cause the compromised computer to transmit confidential data (e.g., banking information, passwords, etc.) to the malware attacker.
The disclosed embodiments address one or more of the problems set forth above.